Graduate Student Culture in MAE

Who are we?

In the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, we are breaking stereotypes, expectations, and boundaries to solve the world's biggest problems. 

We don’t just train engineers. We foster engineering leaders and entrepreneurs who will tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time - from engineering new and better manufacturing materials to developing sustainable and innovative solutions to climate change.

Hengye Yang

MAE is more like a family that welcomes everyone from all over the world. People help and support each other here.

— Hengye Yang

Diversity and Inclusion in the Sibley School

In the Sibley School, we are dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for our students, faculty, and staff. In the College of Engineering and the Sibley School, we strive to live out Ezra Cornell’s vision of “any person, any study.”

As Dean Archer states, "we know that there is great strength in diversity and great reward in asking questions nobody has asked before. We honor our past and at the same time understand the need to do new things in new ways. Ezra Cornell wanted to break away from the educational norms of the past. In that same spirit, Cornell Engineering continues to break new ground in what we study and in how we study it."

Hear more about our community from those that know it best - our students, alumni, and faculty.

Sibley Student News

Highlights of the Student Experience

Flexibility

Graduate fields cross traditional college and department boundaries and afford a graduate student maximum flexibility in designing a program represented by faculty from virtually any discipline on campus.

Grad Student Community

Prospective graduate students are drawn to the Sibley School by the close community of multi-cultural and diverse graduate students. Students feel as though they are part of an inclusive community that supports one another throughout the Ph.D. process. 

1st Semester Fellowship

Students do not choose a Ph.D. advisor before applying. Matriculated students are afforded the opportunity to interact with a number of faculty in seeking a good student-advisor match within the first semester. 

5 Years of Funding

We offer five years of funding to all admitted Ph.D. students (contingent upon maintaining good academic standing).

Location

Cornell is located in the beautiful New York Finger Lakes region. Ithaca has been rated one of the top 25 best small cities in America due to the abundance of outdoor activities, natural beauty, and thriving restaurant and brewery scene. Ithaca is also within 6 hours of New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.

Alap Kshirsagar

Cornell MAE has state-of-the-art research facilities, especially in robotics, and a multicultural and international group of students and researchers. The graduate students support each other very well.

— Alap Kshirsagar